A DRIVER whose lorry ploughed through five gardens at the weekend has been fined £75 by Bexley magistrates.

Vasile Pricope, 42, from Mitchum, Surrey, was arrested at the scene of the accident in Manor Road, Erith, on Saturday (July 25) at about 4.30pm.

He pleaded guilty at Bexley Magistrates Court yesterday(July 27), to driving without insurance, and was also ordered to pay £45 costs and had his licence endorsed with eight points.

Miraculously, no one was injured in the incident.

Eye witness Justin Bailey, 34, who lives opposite the crash site said: “I was in the bathroom when I heard the noise.

“I thought the roof was going to fall in.”

The bookseller and author said he ran to his front window.

He said: “It was a scene of complete devastation.”

The lorry had careered through five front gardens, smashing fences, demolishing brick walls and sending flowerpots and bins flying.

It came to rest across the front door of one house and was inches from demolishing the porch of a second house.

Another witness, Hugh Neal, who also lives in Manor Road, said the driver and his male passenger were arrested by traffic police.

Police, firefighters and an ambulance attended the scene and Manor Road was closed for some time while the debris was cleared and the lorry towed away.

It is believed the lorry may have clipped a parked car before swerving across the road where it bounced off the kerb then careered back across Manor Road and mounted the pavement, crashing into the gardens and demolishing a street light.